YEREVAN, April 3. /ARKA/. The recent ruling of Armenia’s Constitutional Court on the funded pension law is a step towards strengthening of Armenia’s statehood, member of parliament from Dashnaktsutiun opposition party Artsvik Minasyan said Wednesday.

On Wednesday April 2 Armenia’s Constitutional Court declared a number of provisions of the new funded pension plan law conflicting with the country’s constitution and, hence invalid. The Court set September 30 as the deadline for harmonizing the funded pension legislation with its decision. All payments to pension funds charged under the new funded pension law before the ruling must be refunded.

Certain members of the authorities failed to impose their own approaches on the Constitutional Court, and the president has not used its power to put pressure on the Court, Minasyan said. It is

According to the lawmaker, it is really a step toward a constitutional state in Armenia.

“We do not have enemies in our struggle, and we would like this success to be considered as an achievement made by the civil society, the people and the statehood”, Minasyan said.

The constitutionality of the law was challenged by three opposition parties in the National Assembly — the Armenian National Congress, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and the Heritage Party — along with the usually pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party. On January 24 Armenia’s Constitutional Court suspended Article 76 of the new pension law, which provides for penalties for failed or delayed pension tax payments, and the third paragraph of Article 86, which obligates employed citizens to choose a pension fund, among other parts of the law.

According to a poll by Gallup International Association, over 88% of some 1,066 respondents in Yerevan have not supported the new funded pension scheme. –0--